install fails no database support

[davekimble]

I have administered SMF before, but I am very hazy about the install.
I am trying to install SMF_2.0.17 locally on Ubuntu_20.04 .
I have all the files in the right place.
http://mydomain.com/forum/install.php [nofollow] says:
Critical Error!
The installer was unable to detect any database support in PHP. Please ask your host to ensure that PHP was compiled with the desired database, or that the proper extension is being loaded.
But I have uncommented sqlite3 in /etc/php/7.4/apache2/php.ini .

Any solutions?

[Dzonny]

Hello there.

Can you use phpinfo() to check installed db modules and their config?

[davekimble]

The result was not as I expected.
The only mention of sqlite is in the Module Authors section:

SQLite 3.x driver for PDO    Wez Furlong
SQLite3                                    Scott MacVicar, Ilia Alshanetsky, Brad Dewar

What section is sqlite normally in ?
exif and openssl are enabled, which I did at the same time.

After changing these features aren't you supposed to reload Apache2 ?

[Dzonny]

Yes, you should reboot your server once you change those settings or install new module.

[davekimble]

Well I did that, and just did it again to make sure, and phpinfo() reads the same.

[Arantor]

SQLite 3 is not supported by SMF 2.0, ideally install MySQL plus the php-mysql package.

7.4 is not properly supported by 2.0, install 7.2.

[davekimble]

Thank you for those important limitations of SMF, which are not mentioned in the prerequisites.
I have uncommented "extension=pdo_mysql", installed php-mysql and restarted apache2, and that gets me through the first hurdle.
Then before testing any files for writeablility, the installer wants to connect to my FTP server and so I have to give it the credentials.
At that point Firefox warns that the form's channel is not encrypted (!!!)
I am not going to send my admin's FTP credentials over an open connection, or trust SMF with the credentials.
Although the installer's advice is that I can do it manually, it doesn't tell me how to avoid invoking an FTP connection.

[shawnb61]

Thank you for those important limitations of SMF, which are not mentioned in the prerequisites.

For the record, that is spelled out in the prerequisites:

Code Select Expand

SQLite SQLite 2.x (SMF is not compatible with SQLite 3.x)
https://wiki.simplemachines.org/smf/SMF2.0:Requirements_and_recommendations

Then before testing any files for writeablility, the installer wants to connect to my FTP server and so I have to give it the credentials.
At that point Firefox warns that the form's channel is not encrypted (!!!)

It only attempts FTP if it fails the test for writeability.  Please double-check permissions on the files, and that they are present & have been copied over correctly. 

[davekimble]

The first time through, I knew the files were not writeable, and thought It would save a lot of bother if the system could fix it with FTP.
Then I discovered the credentials problem, so fixed the writeability problem myself to avoid the FTP problem.
But that didn't get me out of using FTP.
I did it all again from the beginning, same result.
And I haven't even started on the PHP version problem yet.

I just want the package to work.

[m4z]

How did you "fix" the writeability problem, what are the current permissions of the directory containing the SMF files, and what are the permissions of the SMF files and dirs?

[Arantor]

Please enlighten me, how did you possibly expect the system to fix it with FTP if you don't give it the details necessary to fix it with FTP?

Though it sounds to me as though you have not solved the writeability problem, it only asks for FTP if it isn't writable, probably in your case by www-data or possibly the apache2 user.